Mahabharata 3.39.7 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 7
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
स संनिकर्षमागम्य पार्थस्याक्लिष्टकर्मण: । मूक नाम दनो: पुत्र ददर्शाद्भुतदर्शनम्
sa saṁnikarṣam āgamya pārthasyākliṣṭa-karmaṇaḥ | mūko nāma danōḥ putro dadarśādbhuta-darśanam ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Als Śaṅkara sich Pārtha (Arjuna) näherte, dessen Taten niemals ermüden, erblickte er ein wunderlich-schreckliches Wesen: Mūka, den Sohn Danus. In die Gestalt eines Ebers geschlüpft, sann er darauf, den strahlenden Arjuna zu erschlagen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic test: a steadfast hero is confronted by a hidden threat, while the divine observes. It highlights vigilance, courage, and the idea that extraordinary challenges can be instruments of divine examination and spiritual maturation.
Śiva (Śaṅkara) comes near Arjuna and sees the Dānava Mūka, son of Danu, who has taken a boar’s form and is plotting to kill Arjuna—setting up the imminent confrontation central to the Arjuna–Śiva testing episode.
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